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Monday, October 14, 2013

Scratching the Surface of Ephesians

Kopp Disclosure

(John 3:19-21)

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Scratching
the Surface of Ephesians

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I'm old enough to
have some historical perspective; and while I may be wrong, I am convinced
until proven otherwise that there are more miscreants causing meanness,
madness, and misery than ever before.

Surely, things
have been tough ever since the first (original) rebellion (sin) in the garden;
but it seems like the instances of meanness, madness, and misery are
increasingly intense and frequent in an eschatological kinda way.

Indeed, and,
again, I may be wrong, but I am convinced anyone who doesn't think things are
getting worse than ever before is living in the ozone layer of reality with two
feet planted firmly in the air or over-dosed on St. John's Wort.

We're in a war;
precisely as Paul cautioned in Ephesians: "Be prepared. You're up
against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you
can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the
shouting you'll still be on your feet...This is for keeps, a life-or-death
fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels."

Then he describes
our best defense: "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His
might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
stand...withstand...stand firm..."

Paul uses the
metaphor of a Roman soldier preparing for battle to remind us how/why we can
live victoriously and win sooner or later and definitely in the end.

We have the
blessed assurance of victory because our Lord has provided what we need to win
the war: "We are human, but we don't wage war with human plans and
methods. We use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock
down the Devil's strongholds."

If you would like
a printed "spiritual warfare" prayer with Ephesians 6:10-20 as a
guide, just contact me at drkopp@belvpresbyterian.org
and I will send it to you with permission to print and forward.

In short, Luther
taught us to sing victoriously, "One little word shall fell him!...Dost
ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He!...And He must win the
battle!"

Let me put it
another way.

Remembering all
of the pieces of the armor isn't nearly as important as remembering Who is the armor.

Jesus!

Or as many have
done so victoriously when the Devil and its accomplices come knocking at the
door, "Jesus, please get that for me. Thank You!"

While Ephesians,
like Paul's other letters, includes lots of other important parentheses of
counsel, encouragement, and exhortation, the big focus is on the war with the
Devil and its accomplices that no one can avoid with the good news that we will
win the war sooner or later and definitely in the end.

Francis
Frangipane wrote, "How do we defeat the enemy? Victory begins with
the name of Jesus on our lips. It is consummated by the nature of Jesus
in our hearts."

That's what this
letter is all about.

We belong to Him,
we belong to each other, and, together with Him, we will win the war sooner or
later and definitely in the end.

In the meantime of
miscreance, meanness, madness, and misery, we will pray and labor to live the
holy lives of winners: "Therefore be imitators of God...Look carefully
then how you walk...making the best use of time...understand what the will of
the Lord is...Grace...[will]...be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with
love incorruptible."